Saturday, December 31, 2011

Christmas 2011 in Sunny Florida!

Last week we made the 21-hour drive to Nonnie & G-Pa's house to spend Christmas with them, Uncle Tommy, Aunt Danielle and Vinny. We did the trek in 2 days and it really wasn't as challenging as we thought it might be. The girls did really well in the car and we are so proud of them. We did so many fun things while in Naples, in addition to celebrating Jesus' birthday. Here is an assortment of photos:

We had beautiful weather the entire week of our stay. It was in the low 80s several days. We had fun at N&G's pool. Aunt Danielle is pouring water on Gabriella as she sits in the toy tub.  
Adriana and Daddy in the spa. What fun it is to be in warm weather with family!
Vinny is so adorable! He is nearly 7 months old and a doll! We loved spending time with him. 
Gabriella, Mommy (without make-up!) and Adriana made a gingerbread train poolside. It was such a warm day we had to do it quickly so that the icing wouldn't melt.  
Ta da!

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Christmas Eve

Before Christmas Mass. 
After Mass and dinner, we opened gifts from family. Vinny really liked his toy.
The girls loved their Yo Gabba Gabba! backpacks from Uncle Tommy, Aunt Danielle and Vinny. Did you notice?

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Christmas Day

Santa brought lots of gifts!
Santa visited three good little kids.
Gabby was most excited about her make-up case. She has been asking for one of these since September. It has lights and glamour written all over it.  
Adriana opening up her Bitty Baby and American Girl outfit. 
A board game we can all enjoy!
Strawberry Shortcake dress-up outfits were a hit, too! 
What cuties!
Santa's helpers!

Christmas morning by the pool and in our Christmas pajamas from N&G. 
Before Christmas dinner with N&G.
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
Our darling little girls Christmas evening after dinner by the beach. We dined outside at a very nice resort. Just a perfect way to celebrate this special evening. 

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The day after Christmas we spent at the beach. A warm and sunny day that we all enjoyed. The water was cool but Gabriella still loved it.
Adriana preferred to play in the sand. 

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One of our last days in Florida we visited the Naples Zoo. It was a cooler day but perfect. Last time we visited it was well over 100 degrees!

Daddy and Gabby (with her new Bitty Baby and sling from Santa).

Feeding the giraffes lettuce. What long necks! 

This was Gabby's favorite part - riding a camel. Adriana passed on this one, but Gabby had a good time with Daddy.

Playing at the zoo!

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Santa's visit to our house... He made a quick stop to leave a few things he knew wouldn't fit in our car. What a thoughtful man!
After a long two days of driving, the girls were so excited to see what Santa had waiting for them. They ran straight from the car  into the house! Waiting by the fireplace were personalized bean bag chairs and bath robes, a Barbie storage case and stockings full of goodies.
They love their new chairs! Thanks Santa!
We had a very special and memorable Christmas. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, too! It's hard to believe another year is behind us. We wish each of you a blessed and healthy 2012.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Christmas Program, ice skating & gingerbread houses

This morning Gabriella's school held their Christmas Program for parents and families. It was so darling!  They had a short "play" reenacting Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem. Afterward, the children sang. It was so special. The PreK students wore head pieces - the little girls were Mary and the boys were Joseph. Gabby is the third child from the right wearing a blue head piece. The other grades dressed as animals and angels.


After the program. She did a wonderful job. Knew all the words and hand motions. She has been singing the songs at home for about 2 months. 
Visiting with Santa afterward. Adriana was eager to sit with him this time. She regretted missing out last time as she told us after we left she wanted to see him. She didn't hesitate this morning...she even told him what she wanted (a Barbie!). Gabby said she wants make-up.
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On Sunday we brought the girls downtown for their first ice skating experience. So cute! They loved it and so did we! We cherish making memories like these with the girls. 

Before heading to the rink, Santa's elves stopped to take a picture. 
So excited! It was just under 60 degrees so not your typical outdoor skating weather. But, it was perfect because we didn't need big coats and layers to stay warm. 
Adriana was so brave and didn't tire or cry. She loved it!
Gabby did great, too. After a couple laps around the rink, she got brave and wanted to skate by herself. She fell once but took it like a champ! :) The girls are already asking to go back again!
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Last week we met up with some new friends at our house and built gingerbread houses. So fun! And they turned out really cute!


Gabby and Adriana's house. We cheated a bit as the house already came constructed, but the girls decorated and Mommy made the door and window. 

We can't wait for Christmas! May you have a blessed holiday season!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Christmastime is upon us!

We completed more Christmas traditions last week. On Saturday, we made sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies in the afternoon and at night attended Tulsa's Holiday Lights Parade in downtown Tulsa. On Monday, the girls had observation day and Christmas parties at their dance studio. What fun it all was!

Rolling dough and making sugar cookie cut-outs. We made Christmas trees, gingerbread men, stars and angels. 

Sugar cookies right out of the oven!
Warm gingerbread cookies. 
During nap time on Saturday, Mommy and Daddy made Italian maple pizzelles. (These require an iron press and the preparation isn't really child-friendly.) But, we all enjoy these cookies! And our house still smells like maple.
Waiting for the parade to start.
We were impressed with all the floats, inflatables and lights.
What a sweet face! 
Admiring the lights. 
There were several inflatables in the parade. This one is hard to see because my flash wasn't strong enough to capture the huge snowman.


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Yesterday, the girls' dance classes had their observation day and then their Christmas parties and gift exchanges. It was so cute!

Adriana stretching.
Jumping!
What a darling ballerina!
Enjoying treats and gifts with friends.
Gabby concentrating on proper technique and position.
Moving across the floor. Gabby is really impressive, but of course we're not biased at all. :)

She loved her Tinkerbell tea cup decorating set.
Last night we finally iced our sugar and gingerbread cookies from Saturday. The girls iced their own and Gabby game up with this beautiful creation.
Adriana preferred to eat the creations, especially the icing. 
With the last pieces of the gingerbread dough, Daddy made an "A" and "G." Adriana is icing her "A."
Gabby's festive cookies.
Some of the ones Mommy and Daddy iced. Yummy!